Automatic drip-pan alarm



B. WEISS AUTOMATIC DRIP PAN ALARM Feb. 9 192s.

Filed May 28l 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 9 1926. 1,572,057

' B. WEISS l l UTOMATIC DIP PAN ALARM Filed May 28, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet2 u: uw 72 raiemedreb. 9, i926.

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:BENsAivriN Weiss; or NEW Yoeri, N. Y.

AUTOMATIC pair-ran ALARM.

Application led May 28, 1 925. Serial No. 33,691.

To NZZ Iifi/1011i 'it may conce/"11, e

.lle it known that I; llmtraaii-n ,lvinsisj la /itizen ot the UnitedStates,and resident oit New York, in the county of New York'aiid Stateof New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomatic Drip-Pan Alarms, of' which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to drip pan alarms and is `an improvements overthe invention disclosed in my copending application .Se rial Number`732,895, filedA August :19, 1924. In said application, thealarmmechanismis driven by a springwhich must be manually wound up andshouldthe operatorforgetto wind upv the spring, the alarm mechanisinisineffectual. It is .a .primary object vo'i'.tlie present invention toprovide an alarm. mechanism `that is automatically Wound vup,thus doingaway with the necessity'otinanually Winding up the same. It is a'turtherobject of theinventionto provide an alarm that is simple inconstructionand positive inoperation.

Other objects and advantages. will appear as tliedescription proceeds.

ln the accompanying drawing.forming av part of this specification, t .i

Fig. l. is a front elevationoif my improved alarm with parts removed andothers shown diagrammatically'.

Fig. 2 is a side ele-vatioii oi' the improv-ed alarm.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail` view `olthe gear controlling means formingpart 'ofthe invention. Y i f Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view showing thealarm attached to a drip parts being removed.A i l Figs. 5, 6, and 7 arevarious sectionalA vieivs of a modified forni of applying my alarmdevice to a drip pan, While Fig. S shows in a semi-diagrammatical'Vmanner and at a reduced scalefthe side vieiv ot a drip pan with themodified torni `ot my alarm device thereon.

Referring to the views o'f thedraiving in detail, an alarm,mechanism isconfined. in a.

housing 10 preferably formed :of `metal.

This housing 10 is substantially recta-lign` lar in shape withshouldered portions :adjacent its top. Formed in the sidesoithehous toAthe bottom of the housing'are depressions pain* most of.;` its s orVguide Ways 11. Mounted on the rear ot the housing is a fiat supportingbar 12,\`vith its vertical portion riveted or otlierwisevfix'ed to:thea-ear opt' thehousing 1() and itsl free `horizontal portionextending reai'ivardly'oil pan 13 in a manner similar tothat describedin my aforesaid application. "A flat haria on the rear ot'J the:housingl This .bar vand w channelivay arrangement permits the verticaladjustment of' the housing 10 to fit any '.Thealarm mechanism iscontained in saidL housing `liO; .'llhis'mechanism' is mounted 'on aplate 16, ofthe same shape asthefhousing 10 and .formed with shoulderedportions .Iilixtending rearwardly ot'theplate 16 and Vdisposedcentrallythereof at its bottom is a-Iianged portion 1T provided with 'anopening 1 8. ,j Formed in said plate 16,` by punch-il ing the saine5 ata pointl just beyond its ,middleportion and in line `with tlie`flaiiged.portion 17, is another rearwardly extending flange portion 197 havingan opening20 in line. with the opening`18 inthe lii'angefl'..

Saidvflange 19 leaves an opening 21`as Willi' be more vclearlyseen fromFigtire 3. A

. Secured to said plate lilGyon the `side opposite to said flangeportions, is a bearing plate'20 havingY an offset portion 2l'l ex-Wtending almost tothe top of said plate 16.

Mounted on the outside'surface ot` this plate 2l is a signal bell 22which it isthe purpose to ring upon/the filling ofthe pan lto apredetermined height The gearing for. `ringingthe bell -22 is disposedbetweenV the plates 16 and 20. This gearing comprises a main ,drive gear28 mounted rotatablyon a stud .24.v extending between 4said .plates 16and21f. Said main drive gear 23 drives the.

gears25 and 25 mounted on' a shaft-26 journailed insa-id' plates .16and2l. The gear 25 drives,v through the intermediacy of` gear 27', a'star Wheel; A. 27 revo'lvably .mounted von a shaft 28 extending betweensaid plates .16`

and21. yThe teetliof said starwvheel 27 f are in lline with andareadapted to engage a rockermember28 mounted oirashaft 29. Rigidly securedto said rocker memberA 2S is a. hamrnero which 1s adapted to strike G04the housing and adapted to support a drip ot cast metal, like brass,aluminum, etc., having all et' its sides andtop closed while the bottomot'the same is lett open in order to insert the mechanisms thereinto andpermit them to contact withtlie ground. The .front side 71 of thehousing' "70 is made curved to conform with tlie curvature ot the drippan and two small vertical ribs 7 2 are cast in the inside ot' both sidewalls toriiiing av groove 7 betweenthem adapted to receive the mainholding plate 74 ot my mechanism. The holding plate 74 plays in thiscase the samefrle as the plate 16 played in the preferred embodimentdescribed hereiiibetore and has the cut out .and rectangularly bentportion 75 as well as additional members, and plate elements 76 and 77secured therevto igor supporting and securing the saine elements of myalarm mechanism proper, and in the same manner, as has been describedliereinbetore. Thebent plate 7 6 is employed in this case for supportingthe bell 78 which is arranged outside oi the housing 7() in order tomake said housing smaller and to give the bell a louder tone.' v',llieniain supporting plate 74 has a` rectangularly lient lower end 79adapted to engage'the bottom 800i the drip paiiSl and projectingthereunder. Two wire hooks V82 engage the top rim 83 ot the drip pan 8l,their vertical ystemspassing through thetop7() ot the casing and downthrough the space inside of the saine. Two long sleeve nuts 8d engagethe rectangular bend 79 and receive the threaded'lower ends 8-5 oit thehooks S2, It is obvious that upon turning the sleeve nuts 84 the wirehooks 82 will be securely pressed. aga-inst the top ot the drip pan andnot only the housing 70 will be firmly secured on the drip pan throughthe rectangular bend 79, but the pressure of the sleeve nuts 8st on saidrectangular bend will also secure the inside mechanism et my alarmdevice in its place. It will be seen, that both, the housing of mymechanism on the drip pan and the mechanism in said housing may besecured by driving home the two sleeve nuts dit and they may beremovedand dismantled by simply removing said two sleeve nuts.

The alarm mechanism proper is arranged within the housing 70 in asimilar manner as hereinbetore and operates the same way thro-ugh theintermediary of plunger 86. In order to give. a simplified support torthe drip pan and an improved move-ment 'for my alarm n'iechanisni whenit is caused by the weight ot' the water to slide downwardly over theplunger 8G, I however provide in this modilica-tion two gro-undcontacting, supporting and guiding members or legs 87, instead oflett-ingl the plunger 86 itself rest on the ground. These legs aresecured near the two ends ot a cross bridge member SS,

preferably iiiade ot pressed sheet metal, and llie center ot which is,firmly l'secuig'edV to the lower end ot plunger S6, by the rivet 89, or4by any other suitable means. Two holes are rprovided iii therectangular bend 79 to permit a tree play ot the legs 87 therethrough.

and saidrectangular bend 79 also providesa lowermost limit to themoveiiieiitsot bridge v 88A The spring 4l-,8,l described heii'einbetoreacts on said bridge 8S.

In this moditicatioii the legs Si provide ytwo supporting points for thedrip pan 8l,

as shown in `Fig. 8, while the third support ing point ior the drip panis provided by the point 90 of its liottoin circumference directlyopposite to said legs 87. The weight ot the water dripping into the panwill have a larger e'tliective'arm to act upon the alaini mechanism thanit had in the preferred embodinient, described hereinbetore.

I 'want `to enipliasize that the terms and `expressions emijiloyed areused as terii'is ot nailing device secured to said pan `and mounted' ona support, said signalling devicebeing adapted t-o slide downwardly onsaid support under the weight ofthe liquid in said pan; an elasticmember interposed between said signalling devieiY and said sup porttoreturn said signalling device into its original position when the liquidis rei'i'ioved from said pan; a source oi power adapted to operate saidsign ailing device; means to noie mally check the operation oit saidpower, and means to iiitermittently release said checking means upon thesignalling device reaching predetermined positions on the support. n

2. A signalling devicelor drip pans coni-- prising means responsive tothe torce ot in creasing weight allowed to enter said pany said meansincluding an extensible support on which the pan rests, an alarmmechanism carried by said support and actuated by the lowering ot saidpan under the. weight ot the water therein, a source of force -foractivating said alarm device and means for automatically returning saidsource of torce to ettective position upon the removal et said weight.

3. In an alarm device: a stationarv eleient and a movable element. anoutside torce acting upon said movable element; the changing phases inthe operation ot which is to be signalled bysaid alarm device; a sourceot torce to actuate said alarm device upon predetermined positionsbeing` reached by said movable element.; interposed between said movinelement and in elastic elementv i said stationarv elementand beine'Yinfluenced by their relative movement; and means connected with saidelastic element to return said alarm actuating force into its originalcondition ready to actuatesaid alarm upon said outside force being`removed and said elastic element beine` released.

et. In combination with a liquid receptacle, like an ice box 'drip pan,an alarm mechanism secured to said receptacle and slidable upon asupport under the action of the weight of the :liquid received by saidreceptacle; a source of force to operate said alarm normallyv checkedbut intermittently released at predetermined relative positions of saidalarm upon said support; an elastic member interposed between said alarmdevice and said support and influenced by their relative movement; andmeans connecited with said elastic member to return said alarm operatingforce into its original normal condition ready to again operate saidalarm when the liquid is Aremoved from said receptacle and said elasticmember is re leased.

5. In combination with a liquid recepi tacle like an ice box dri) aan asuwort 7 7 'for said receptacle it being` slidable thereon under theaction ot the weight of the liquid; an alarm device secured to saidreceptacle and slidable on said support therewith; an elastic memberinterposed between said alarm device and said support and beinginfluenced by their relative movement; a source of force adapted toactuate said alarm device but normally prevented from operationby'checking' means; means to rcmove said checking means upon said alarmreaching predetermined positions, and returning means in connection withsaid ela.-

tic means to return said source of force intoVV its original conditionready to again operate said alarm upon the liquid being' remover fromsaid receptacle and said elastic member released from its action.

f6. In combinationV with a liquid receptacle; like an ice box drippan,an alarm 'device secured to said receptacle; a support for saidreceptacle, said alarm device being, slidable on said support under theinfluence of the weight of Vthe liquid received by said receptacle; aspring' normally urging` said alarindeviee into operation; a movableelcment normally engaging the said alarm device and preventing itsoperation; means to intermittently move said clement to operate uponsaid alarm reaching predetermined positicns on said support, and meansto thereafter return to its checkingposition; an elastic element betweensaid alarm vdevice and said support influenced by thevweightof theliquid in said receptacle, and a connectnrc' member between said alarmoperating' spring and said elastic member adapted to return saidspringinto its original position when said elastic member is releasedfrom the influe-nce of the weight of theliquid in said receptacle. n

Signed at New York, in the county of New York, and State of New- Yorkthis 19th 'day of May, A. D. 1925.

' BENJAMIN VFJISS.

